Applicator for attachment to a spray mist dispenser

ABSTRACT

An applicator for attachment to a container for aerosol spray under pressure wherein the container is of the type having a dispensing valve provided with a projecting stem which releases a jet of spray upon depression relative to the container. The applicator includes a housing adapted to partially enclose the container and provided with a tubular sidewall surrounding the stem. A spray assembly within the sidewall grips the stem and directs the spray released thereby through a radial port in the sidewall. A sleeve is telescopically mounted on the sidewall for axial motion between a retracted position overlying the radial port and an extended position positioned beyond the sidewall. The sleeve is connected to the sidewall by two ears depending from the sleeve, which are provided at their free ends with two bosses which pass through two aligned axial slots in the sidewall. In the extended position, the bosses enable pivoting motion of the sleeve into concentric alignment with the radial port. Each boss is provided with an enlarged head positioned internally of the sidewall to prevent motion of the boss out of the slot. In the preferred embodiment, the shaping of the ears which depend from the sleeve is such that pivoting of the sleeve when in the extended position is possible only in a direction which will cause concentric alignment with the radial port and furthermore so that when aligned, the sleeve will point slightly upward to aid in dispensing the spray mist.

United States Patent Meshberg APPLICATOR FOR ATTACHMENT TO A SPRAY MISTDISPENSER Philip Meshberg, 85 Old Oaks Road, Fairfield, Conn. 06604Filed: Dec. 20, 1973 Appl. No.: 426,418

Related US. Application Data Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 286,916,Sept. 7, I972, abandoned.

[76] inventor:

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1883 Lane 220/38 4/1939 Gansz222/545 3,l9l,867 6/1965 Helms 3,506,004 4/1970 Mann et a1 ZZZ/402.12

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICAHONS 1,131,644 10/1968 United Kingdom222/4o2.12

Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Assistant ExaminerH. Grant SkaggsAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Kenyon & Kenyon Reilly Carr & Chapin 1 Dec. 23,1975 57 ABSTRACT An applicator for attachment to a container for aerosolspray under pressure wherein the container is of the type having adispensing valve provided with a projecting stem which releases a jet ofspray upon depression relative to the container. The applicator includesa housing adapted to partially enclose the container and provided with atubular sidewall surrounding the stem. A spray assembly within thesidewall grips the stern and directs the spray released thereby througha radial port in the sidewall. A sleeve is telescopically mounted on thesidewall for axial motion between a retracted position overlying theradial port and an extended position positioned beyond the sidewall. Thesleeve is connected to the sidewall by two ears depending from thesleeve, which are provided at their free ends with two bosses which passthrough two aligned axial slots .in the sidewall. 1n the extendedposition, the bosses enable pivoting motion of the sleeve intoconcentric alignment with the radial port. Each boss is provided with anenlarged head positioned internally of the sidewall to prevent motion ofthe boss out of the slot. In the preferred embodiment, the shaping ofthe ears which iiepend from the sleeve is such that pivoting of thesleeve when in the extended position is possible only in a directionwhich will cause concentric alignment with the radial port andfurthermore so that when aligned, the sleeve will point slightly upwardto aid in dispensing the spray mist.

4 Claims, 18 brawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet10f43,927,806

U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 2 of4 VII/III,

\ a 5 I i US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 3 of4 3,927,806

US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 4 of4 3,927,806

\\ Ufx APPLICATOR FOR ATTACHMENT TO A SPRAY MIST DISPENSER RELATEDAPPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of applicationSer. No. 286,9[6 filed Sept. 7, 1972, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to applicators forattachment to aerosol spray containers, of the type utilized by asuITerer from bronchial ailments to direct a medicated spray into hismouth. In particular, the invention relates to an improvement on anapplicator of the type disclosed in applicants earlier US. Pat. No.3,184,115 issued May 18, I965.

The applicator disclosed in applicants aforementioned US. Pat. No.3,l84,l l includes a housing adapted to enclose an aerosol spraycontainer. In one embodiment that housing includes an upper tubularsidewall on which is mounted a sliding sleeve. Mounted within thesidewall is a spray assembly having an axial passage adapted tofrictionally grip a projecting stern on the upper end of the containerthrough which a jet of spray is released upon selective, relativemovement of the stem into the container. Passages in the spray assemblydirect the jet of spray in a radial direction through a noule. Thesleeve is connected to the sidewall by two plain projecting bosses whichride in two depressed axial slots in the sidewall and which act as axleswhen the sleeve is moved to an upper extended position for pivotingmotion of the sleeve into concentric alignment with the nozzle to assistin guiding the flow of spray into the users mouth. To prevent ingress ofdust and other foreign matter into the nozzle area when the sleeve is inthe retracted position, a removable cap is provided in the upper end ofthe sleeve.

Although such prior device has proved satisfactory for its intendedpurposes, certain problems could be encountered from time to time. Forexample, the use of a plain boss riding in a slot to secure the sleeveto the sidewall could permit the sleeve to become disconnected in itsextended position due to the boss moving laterally out of the slot.Disconnection, which is facilitated by the natural resilience of theplastics customarily used, might occur when the applicator became wornand when the sleeve is subjected to careless handling in its movementfrom one position to another relative to the sidewall. Another problemcould occur if the user forgot to replace the cap on the sleeve after ithad been returned to its retracted position, thus, permitting entry offoreign material to the noule area in which event the foreign materialswould be blown into the users mouth upon the next use of the device.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an applicator of the typegenerally described in which the possibility that the sleeve couldaccidentally become detached from the remainder of the applicator isminimized. It would also be desirable if the hygienic nature of theapplicator could be enhanced by obviating the necessity for areplaceable cap which can become lost. In addition, it is desirable thatsuch an applicator should be designed so that the sleeve when extendedcan only be pivoted in a direction which would cause it to becomealigned with the axial passage in the spray assembly. Such should beobtained through a simple process which does not require complicatedshapes in the dispenser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an applicatorfor attachment to an aerosol spray container, which obviates orminimizes problems of the type previously described.

More particularly, the invention comprises an appli' cator forattachment to a container for aerosol spray under pressure, wherein thecontainer is of the type having a dispensing valve provided with aprojecting stem which releases a jet of spray upon limited axial motionof the stem in a direction relatively inward of the container. Theapplicator includes a housing adapted to at least partially enclose thecontainer and is provided with a tubular sidewall has an axial outer endspaced remotely from the container and a radial port extending throughthe sidewall. A spray assembly mounted within the sidewall is adapted togrip the stem of the dispensing valve and direct the jet of sprayrelased thereby through the radial port. The sidewall includes twoaligned, -axially extending, closed slots positioned at oppositeextremities of a diameter of the sidewall, which diameter is disposedperpendicularly to the axis of the radial port. A sleeve istelescopically mounted on the sidewall for axial sliding motion betweena retracted position overlying the radial port and an extended positionin which the sleeve is positioned beyond the outer end of the sidewall.Two ears extend from an axially inner end of the sleeve in partiallyoverlapping relation to the slots. Each ear is provided with a bosswhich is slidingly received in an adjacent one of the slots. The bossesabut against the closed outer ends of the slots in the extended positionof the sleeve and they function as axles for pivoting motion of thesleeve into generally concentric alignment with the radial port. Eachboss is provided with an enlarged head positioned on an opposite side ofthe sidewall from the associated ear, and the head overlaps the adjacentedges of the slot to prevent motion of the boss out of the slot.

The formation of the cars which depend from the remainder of the sleeveis done so that rotation only in one direction is possible when thesleeve is extended. This is accomplished by a cut-out such that thesleeve extends downwardly on the side of the radial port to the extentthat it prevents backward motion of the sleeve when in the extendedposition. The rear side contains a cut-out sufficient to allow thesleeve to pivot to a position where the sleeve is aligned with theradial port. Furthermore, this design results in a slight angularelevation of the axis of the sleeve when positioned in alignment withthe axial port to ease the use of the dispenser. (In each casethroughout the specification, the dispenser is shown and described in anupright position. It should be noted that in many cases dispensers ofthis nature are inverted during use. Thus, the elevated or upwardlypointing sleeve, when in use may be in fact, depressed or downwardlypointing.)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of anapplicator for attachment to an aerosol spray, constructed in accordancewith the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the applicator shown in FIG. 1 with asleeve forming a part of the invention being moved from a retracted toan extended position;

3 FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the applicator shown in FIG. 2 withthe sleeve rotated through 90 degress to a position for use in directingaerosol spray into a user's mouth;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional, side view of the applicator shown in FIG. 2taken along the lines 55 therein.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional, side view of the applicator shown in FIG. 2taken along the lines 5-5 therein.

FIG. 6 is a crosssectional, side view of the applicator shown in FIG. 3taken along the lines 6-6 therein.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional, side view of the applicator shown in FIG. 6but with the applicator depressed rela tive to the container to releasea jet of spray.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the applicator shown in FIG. 1in an initial stage prior to assembly of the sleeve to the applicator.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the applicator shown in FIG. 8 in aninitial step of assembly of the sleeve to the applicator;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view of the applicator shown in FIG. 9taken along the lines 10-10 therein.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the applicator shown in FIG. 9 in afurther step of assembling the sleeve to the applicator.

FIG. I2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the applicator shown in FIG.11 taken along the lines l212 therein;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the applicator shown in FIG. 11 in afinal step of assembly of the sleeve to the applicator;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional plan view of the applicator shown in FIG.13 taken along the lines l4I4 therein;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view, partially in cross section, of anenlarged scale showing portions of structure for connecting the sleeveto the applicator; and

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional end view of a portion of the structure forconnecting the sleeve to the applicator shown in FIG. 16.

FIG. I7 is a view identical to that of FIG. 5 but for the preferredapplicator embodiment having a horizontal top.

FIG. 18 is a view of the embodiment of FIG. 17 with the sleeve alignedand the applicator depressed and spraying on an angle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1 ofthe drawings, an applicator for a container of aerosol spray underpressure, constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of theinvention, is there shown.

The applicator includes a generally tubular body 2 comprising a lower,skirt portion 4 shaped to loosely enclose a cylindrical, container 6 ofaerosol spray under pressure. The container 6 is of a conventional typeincluding an internal dispensing valve (not shown) having a resilientlymounted upwardly projecting stem 8 (FIG. 4) which, upon being depresseda limited dis tance inwardly into the container 6, releases a measuredamount of spray upwardly. Typically, the aerosol spray would be amedication for sufferers from bronchial and asthmatic complaintsalthough the invention can also be employed with sprays for otherpurposes.

Extending above the skirt portion 4 and connected thereto by anintervening shoulder is an upper, concentric, sidewall 10 surroundingand extending upwardly above the stem 8 of the container. Integral withthe sidewall at its upper end there is a spray assembly which includes asolid end wall I2 having a central, depending portion I3 is providedwith a central axial passage 14 having an enlarged lower portion whichforms a frictional fit with the upper end of the stem 8 of thecontainer.

The housing 2 is assembled onto the container 6 by slipping it over thecontainer and then pressing it downwardly so that the passage 14 isforced on to and grips the upper end of the stem 8. Thereafter torelease spray (FIGS. 6 and 7), the user presses on the upper end of thehousing 2 and on the base of the container 6 in the region of two fingeropenings 18 cut in the skirt 4 at its lower end, thus causing relativeclosing motion be tween the stem 8 and the container so that a jet ofspray is released upwardly. At its upper end, which is closed, the axialpassage 14 communicates with a radial nozzle 20 through which the jet ofspray is directed radially outwardly. The nozzle 20 is aligned with anenlarged sidewall 10 and is defined by an inwardly extending, horizontaltubular wall 23 (FIGS. 10 and 12) secured at its inner end to thedepending portion 13.

When the applicator is not is use, the radial port 22 is closed off by asleeve 24 slidably mounted on the side wall 10 having its upper, oraxially outer, end on a level with the upper end of the sidewall 10 whenthe sleeve is in the lower, or retracted, position shown in FIG. 4. Theperipheral edge of the end wall 12, which is flush with the surface ofthe sidewall 10, forms a close sliding fit with the bore of the sleeve24 so that the sleeve and the end wall 12 prevent passage of dust andother foreign matter into the radial port 22 when the sleeve is in itsretracted position, thereby obviating the need for a replacement cap onthe sleeve 24.

Integral with the sleeve 24 extending downwardly from its lower end onopposite sides of the sidewall 10 are two, coextensive ears 28 (FIG. 8)in partially overlapping relation to two vertical, aligned, closed slots30 extending through the sidewall 10. The slots 30 are aligned atopposite ends of a diameter of the sidewall, which is disposedperpendicularly to the axis of the previously mentioned radial port 22.Each of the cars 28 (FIGS. 15 and 16) at its lower extremity is providedwith a radially projecting boss 32 which passes inwardly through theadjacent one of the slots 30 for vertical sliding motion.

The sleeve 24 may be slid upwardly (FIG. 2) to an extended position inwhich the bosses 32 abut the closed upper ends of the slot 30. At thispoint the bosses function as axles permitting rotation of the sleeveinto a position generally of concentric radial alignment with the radialport 22 (FIGS. 7 and 18). It will be appreciated that this is achievedby positioning the upper ends of the slots 30 generally on a level withthe axis of the radial port 22. It then functions to assist in guidingthe spray into the users mouth. Once the sleeve 24 has been moved to itsextended position, there is a possibility of pivoting it either in thedirection necessary to align radial port 22 or in the reverse directionin which it would be facing in an opposite direction from the radialport. If the latter should occur then the user placing the sleeveadjacent his mouth would receive no spray, while the jet is sprayed withthe directed outwardly away from the user. The preferred constructionfor preventing rotation in the wrong direction is illustrated by FIGS.17 and I8. As shown thereon, the sleeve 24 is shaped so that its portion25 which is directly above the radial port 22 extends downwardly asufficient distance to contact the end wall 12 to prevent rotation ofthe sleeve backward away from the radial port. Thus, rotation forward tothe position shown in FIG. 18 is the only type of rotation or pivotingpossible. As illustrated on FIG. I8, this shaping also results in asleeve being rotated through a smaller angle to obtain an upwardlyinclined mist path. Thus, by this simple shaping two ends are served:rotation only in a proper direction to align the sleeve with the radialport is insured while at the same time an upwardly inclined mist path isobtained. Furthermore, the construction of the dispenser is simplifiedin that the top of the dispenser can be made essentially flat.

A second manner of avoiding undesirable rotation is through the use of averticle projecting lip 40 (FIGS. 2 and 5). This lip is formed so thatit projects above the end wall 12 at the upper end of the side wall onthe side thereof adjacent the radial port 22. The lip 40 is configuredto at least partially overlap the interior of the sleeve adjacent theleading edge 34 at its lower end so that the latter cannot pivotreversely over the lip 40 and pivoting of the sleeve into a position outof alignment with the radial port 22, is prevented.

A raised surface 43 is provided at the lower end of the sidewall 10 andhas a curved upper edge configured to matingly engage the edge 34 of thesleeve when it is in its retracted position.

The previously mentioned ears 28 are formed by omitting or removingportions of the sleeve to form a curved leading edge 34 shown on FIGS.2, 7, l7 and 18. The leading edge 34 abuts the side wall 10 on the lowerside of the sleeve in its position aligned with the nozzle to limitfurther rotational movement of the sleeve beyond that position. In theembodiment of FIG. 7, this limitation occurs after a rotation ofapproximately 90. In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 16, a smalleramount of rotation is obtained. An opposite trailing edge 36 of thesleeve is shaped to permit it to clear the upper end of the side wall 10without interference during pivoting motion after the sleeve has beenraised to its extended position, in both the embodiments of FIG. 7 andof FIG. 17 and 18.

Although the second means of preventing rotation on the wrong directionworks well, it requires a more complex shape of the structure in thatthe lip 40 must be formed therein and in addition does not offer theadvantage of having an upwardly directed mist. Thus, the former methodof shaping the cut out in the sleeve is preferred.

To prevent the bosses 32 from riding out of their associated slots 30,as could inadvertently occur in previous devices due to rough handling,wear and the resilience of the plastic material from which theapplicator components are made, each boss is provided with an enlargedhead 44 (FIGS. I5 and 16) which overlaps the interior of the sidewall 10along the edges of the slot 30. In this way accidental separation of heslee\e when it is in its e tended position lrom the remainder of theapplicator. is prcx cntcil Each slot 30 pron led with a countersunkcnlaigel region 46 n thc lllltflPl side of the side-stall to receu thinlarged lli n. 44 i 1" each boss so that lllL heail dow not project Muthe interior \olunic ol the sidewall To enable the sleeve 24 to hcassembled on the sidewall It). each t l the slots 30 is provided with anen argcrl opening 48 at its lower lltl The opening 48 is of ufliucntsi/c to permit the head 44 on each boss to (til 6 pass through fromoutside the sidewall I0 to the intenor.

The method by which the sleeve 24 is assembled to the housing, forming apart of the present invention, is shown in FIGS. 8 through 14. In aninitial step the ears 28 at the lower end of the sleeve are forced overthe housing and the resilient plastic material of which the sleeve isformed permits the ears to deflect outwardly so that the enlarged heads44 on the two bosses ride on the exterior surfaces of the sidewall I0(FIG. 10). The assembler then rotates the sleeve manually relative tothe housing until at least one of the bosses catches on an edge of oneof the slots 30 (FIGS. 11 and 12). The sleeve is then slid manually downwhile the enlarged heads 44 are still catching on the edges of, butriding outside, the slots 30 until the enlarged portions 48 at the lowerends of the slots 30 are reached. At that point the natural resilienceof the material causes the heads 44 to snap through the openings 48(FIGS. 13 and 14) so that on the next subsequent elevation of the sleeveit will be positively secured to the housing against accidentaldetachment in the extended position.

Alternatively, the ears 28 may be forced over the housing so that atleast one of the bosses catches on an edge of one of the slots 30.Thereupon, the movement of that boss over the surface 10 is stopped, butthe other continues until it too is coupled. The sleeve is then slidmanually down as in the assembly method first described.

Through this arrangement it is insured that when the sleeve is beingmoved from the retracted position and pivoted into the operatingposition there is no danger of it becoming detached. Still, assembly isfacilitated by placing the openings 48 at the inner ends of the axialslots. In that position coaction between the sleeve and the sidewallprevents the sleeve from becoming dislodged and thus, the protectionafiorded at other sleeve positions is not needed. This combination ofthe boss with the enlarged head and an enlarged opening at the bottom ofthe slot insures ease of assembly while still avoiding any danger of thesleeve becoming dislodged.

FIG. 18 also illustrates the manner in which skirt 4 can be made toterminate at the bottom of container 6 when in an unoperated position.This prevents accidental discharge when the container is set down, i.e.,container 6 must be pushed inside skirt 4 to obtain a discharge. Alsoshown on that figure is the manner in which the top of surface 43 actsas a stop to prevent the sleeve 24 from sliding down in slots 30 when inan operating position.

What is claimed is:

I. An applicator for attachment to a container for dispensing spraymist, the container being of the type having a dispensing valve providedwith a projecting stem which releases a jet of spray upon limited axialmotion of the stern in a direction relatively inward of the container,the applicator comprising,

a housing adapted to at least partially enclose the container. saidhousing further including,

a tubular ode all adapted to surround the stem of the dispensing valve,said sidewall having an axial outer end spaced remotel} from thecontainer and an axial inner end.

a radial port extending through said sidewall.

means mounted within said sidewall adapted to grip the stem ol'thtdispensing \ahc and to direct tin jet of pray rcli'ascd thereby throughsaid ratlia' p n 7 two aligned, axially extending, closed slots throughsaid sidewall at opposite extremities of a diame ter thereof which isdisposed perpendicularly to the axis of said radial port, each having anenlarged opening at its inner axial end,

a sleeve telescopically mounted on said sidewall for axial slidingmotion between a retracted position overlying said radial port, and anextended position in which at least a major portion of said sleeve ispositioned beyond the outer end of said sidewall, with cooperableabutting portions of said sleeve and said sidewall at a positiondirectly above said radial port when said sleeve is in an extendedposition thereby insuring that pivoting of the sleeve is only possiblein a direction which will align it with said radial port, and the end ofsaid sleeve, when said sleeve is in said retracted position, terminatingsuch that it does not extend above the top of said tubular side wallthereby preventing dust or dirt collection on the inside of said sleeve,

two ears extending from an axially inner end of said sleeve in partiallyoverlapping relation to said slots,

two bosses projecting from said ears slidingly received in said slots,said bosses abutting against the closed outer ends of said slots in theextended position of said sleeve and enabling pivoting motion 8 thereofinto generally concentric alignment with said radial port, each saidboss having, an enlarged head, of a size permitting said enlarged headto freely pass through the enlarged opening in said slots, positionedinternally of said sidewall. said head overlapping the adjacent edges ofsaid slot to prevent motion of said boss out of said slot except when ina fully retracted position, and a raised surface at the lower end ofsaid sidewall below said radial port, said surface acting as a stop toprevent said sleeve from sliding in said slots when pivoted to adispensing position. 2. An applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein saidcooperable abutting portions comprise,

a projecting portion connected with said sidewall,

said portion being directly above said radial port. 3. The improvementin claim 1 wherein the outer end of said sidewall is essentially flatand wherein said cooperable abuting portions comprise a downwardly extending portion of said sleeve abuting said sidewall directly above saidradial port.

4. The improvement of claim 1 in which the end of said sleeve, when saidsleeve is in said closed position, is coterminous with said top, so asto form with it a smooth surface that catches no dirt or dust.

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONPATENT NO. :3 ,927 ,806

DATED December 23, 1975 \NVENTOR(S) Philip Meshberg It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 17 between "sidewall" and "has the following should beinserted: adapted to surround the stem of the dispensing valve. Thesidewall Column 4, line 24 change is", second occurrence, to

Signed and Sealed this [SEAL] twentieth Day of Ami/1976 Arrest: I

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arrest IR 011"? nmmrsswm'r 0] Parents andTrademark

1. An applicator for attachment to a container for dispensing spraymist, the container being of the type having a dispensing valve providedwith a projecting stem which releases a jet of spray upon limited axialmotion of the stem in a direction relatively inward of the container,the applicator comprising, a housing adapted to at least partiallyenclose the container, said housing further including, a tubularsidewall adapted to surround the stem of the dispensing valve, saidsidewall having an axial outer end spaced remotely from the containerand an axial inner end, a radial port extending through said sidewall,means mounted within said sidewall adapted to grip the stem of thedispensing valve and to direct the jet of spray released thereby throughsaid radial port, two aligned, axially extending, closed slots throughsaid sidewall at opposite extremities of a diameter thereof which isdisposed perpendicularly to the axis of sid radial port, each having anenlarged opening at its inner axial end, a sleeve telescopically mountedon said sidewall for axial sliding motion between a retracted positionoverlying said radial port, and an extended position in which at least amajor portion of said sleeve is positioned beyond the outer end of saidsidewall, with cooperable abutting portions of said sleeve and saidsidewall at a position directly above said radial port when said sleeveis in an extended position thereby insuring that pivoting of the sleeveis only possible in a direction which will align it with said radialport, and the end of said sleeve, when said sleeve is in said retractedposition, terminating such that it does not extend above the top of saidtubular side wall thereby preventing dust or dirt collection on theinside of said sleeve, two ears extending from an axially inner end ofsaid sleeve in partially overlapping relation to said slots, two bossesprojecting from said ears slidingly received in said slots, said bossesabutting against the closed outer ends of said slots in the extendedposition of said slEeve and enabling pivoting motion thereof intogenerally concentric alignment with said radial port, each said bosshaving, an enlarged head, of a size permitting said enlarged head tofreely pass through the enlarged opening in said slots, positionedinternally of said sidewall, said head overlapping the adjacent edges ofsaid slot to prevent motion of said boss out of said slot except when ina fully retracted position, and a raised surface at the lower end ofsaid sidewall below said radial port, said surface acting as a stop toprevent said sleeve from sliding in said slots when pivoted to adispensing position.
 2. An applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein saidcooperable abutting portions comprise, a projecting portion connectedwith said sidewall, said portion being directly above said radial port.3. The improvement in claim 1 wherein the outer end of said sidewall isessentially flat and wherein said cooperable abuting portions comprise adownwardly extending portion of said sleeve abuting said sidewalldirectly above said radial port.
 4. The improvement of claim 1 in whichthe end of said sleeve, when said sleeve is in said closed position, iscoterminous with said top, so as to form with it a smooth surface thatcatches no dirt or dust.